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Background: Islets of Langerhans transplantation is a promising alternative for glycemic control in patients with type 1 diabetes. The graft site is a factor that has large impact on the functioning of this transplant, and the stomach appears to be a promising location. Our objective is to describe a new experimental model for the grafting of Islets of Langerhans in rat stomachs., Methodology: Islets of Langerhans were extracted from 45 isogenic male rats of the Lewis lineage and transplanted into 9 isogenic rats of the Wistar lineage; 5 in the gastric body submucosa, and 4 in the gastric fundus submucosa. Normoglycemia was defined as two successive measurements of <250 mg/dL. No immunosuppression was used. The two groups glycemia control improvement were compared with t -student test., Results: The results obtained following the transplantation of the islets in 9 rats showed between 995 and 2310 islets transplanted (mean of 1367). The rats from the gastric submucosa group had a better glycemic level improvement, with a confidence equal to 83.94%., Conclusion: Islets graft into the gastric fundus submucosa is a viable model with potential for adequate glycemic control. This model gives potential for new perspectives and future studies in this area.

Background: Inguinal hernia repair is one of the most frequently conducted surgical procedures worldwide. Totally extraperitoneal (TEP) hernioplasty has shown many advantages over traditional open surgery. However, because of increased surgical complexity, it requires more practice to achieve optimal results., Objectives: The aim of this study is to evaluate the learning curve for TEP hernioplasty, analysing parameters related to the mean operating time. The secondary objective is to assess the complications and early discharge rates related to this procedure., Methods: A prospective study of 238 consecutive patients undergoing TEP hernioplasty from the same practitioner between May 2009 and May 2014, in a specialised centre for abdominal hernias in Sao Paulo, Brazil, was conducted. All data were obtained through medical records., Results: The study included 137 patients undergoing a total of 157 TEP hernia repairs. Bilaterality and complications can influence the operating time and so were excluded. Patients with unilateral surgery and without complications were included. Patients were chronologically divided into four groups. Groups 1-3 were composed of 35 patients and group 4 of 32. There were no significant variations in clinical characteristics between the groups. The plateau of the learning curve was reached on the 65 th repetition of the surgery, with a mean operating time of 28 min (p < 0,05). Complications were only observed in the first group of 35 patients. 97% of patients were discharged early, defined as patient leaving hospital less than 12 h after surgery., Conclusion: After an initial reduction, the mean operating time stabilised after 65 cases. A reduction in the rate of complications was observed after 35 cases, and a rate of 97% of early discharge was achieved.

Background: Laparoscopic totally extraperitoneal (TEP) hernia repair is a technically demanding procedure. Recent studies have identified BMI as an independent factor for technical difficulty in the learning period., Aim: To analyze the effect of overweight and obesity on the technical difficulties of TEP., Method: Prospective study on patients who underwent a symptomatic inguinal hernia by means of the TEP technique. Were analyzed gender, BMI, previous surgery, hernia type, operative time and complications. Technical difficulty was defined by operative time, major complications and recurrence. Patients were classified into four groups: 1) underweight, if less than 18,5 kg/m²; 2) normal range if BMI between 18,5 and 24,9 kg/m²; 3) overweight if BMI between 25-29,9 kg/m²; and 4) obese if BMI≥30 kg/m²., Results: The cohort had a total of 190 patients, 185 men and 5 women. BMI values ranged from 16-36 kg/m² (average 26 kg/m²). Average operating time was 55.4 min in bilateral hernia (15-150) and 37.8 min in unilateral (13-150). Time of surgery was statistically correlated with increased BMI in the first 93 patients (p=0.049)., Conclusion: High BMI and prolonged operative time are undoubtedly correlated. However, this relationship may be statistically significant only in the learning period. Although several clinical features can influence surgical time, upon reaching an experienced level, surgeons appear to easily handle the challenges.

Background: Subxiphoid incisional hernia occurs as a complication following median sternotomy and are difficult to repair. We present recent data of a standardized technique for correction of subxiphoid incisional hernias, and discuss possible anatomical and surgical factors related to recurrence of the hernia., Methods: A retrospective study with medical records analysis of patients submitted to surgical correction of subxiphoid incisional hernias through standardized treatment between July 2014 and September 2016. All procedures were carried out using the same standardized technique, surgical materials (threads and meshes) and pre- and post-operative care., Results: All of the surgical procedures carried out were elective. The hernia defect varied between 5 cm and 16 cm (mean of 7.4 cm); the procedure lasted between 32 and 75 min; the mean time of hospital stay was 2.2 days (range from 1 to 5 days). In five patients the correction of subxiphoid incisional hernia was carried out concurrently with another procedure. No death occurred as a result of the operations. Five patients had minor postoperative complications. Follow up time was between 7 and 33 months, with a recurrence rate of 0% at the time of writing., Conclusions: Despite the limitations of a short follow up period, the surgical technique described presented low rates of early recurrence by closing the hernia defect, using relaxing incisions in the musculature and aponeurosis and surgical mesh.

Purpose: Transplantation patients have a series of associated risk factors that make appearance of incisional hernia (IH) more likely. A number of aspects of the closure of large defects remain controversial. In this manuscript, we present the repair of a large IH following liver transplantation through the technique of posterior components separation combined with the anterior, together with the intraoperative use of botulinum toxin A and the placement of mesh. As a secondary objective, we analyze the incidence of IH following liver transplantation in our service., Methods: Between the years 2013 and 2016, 247 patients underwent liver transplantation in the Liver Transplantation Service at the Hospital das Clínicas da Faculdade de Medicina da Universidade de São Paulo, Brazil. We analyzed the incidence of IH in these patients. One of these cases operated in March 2017 presented a defect in the abdominal wall of 22×16.6×6.4cm in the median and paramedian regions. We present the details of this innovative surgical technique., Results: The total operating time was 470min. During the postoperative phase the patient presented ileus paralysis, without systemic repercussions. Resumption of an oral diet on the fifth postoperative day, without incident. Hospital discharge occurred on the 12th postoperative day, with outpatient follow up., Conclusion: In our service, the incidence of incisional hernias following liver transplantation is 14.5%. We described a successful approach for selected patient group for whom there is no established standard treatment. Given the complexity of such cases, however, more studies are necessary., (Copyright © 2017 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.)